IMPACT: Turning Connections into Community

By Ozge Ozcan, Chief Customer Officer

After IMPACT 2023, I wrote about the five things I learned, which started with the idea of turning connections into community. As I write this a year later and a few days following IMPACT 2024, I’m reminded of how powerful this concept is.

I wanted to share some thoughts on how we’re seeing this vision continue to come to life and highlight some ways you can get involved, too.

Meeting Our Community Where They Are

At this year’s conference, many speakers discussed the importance of “meeting customers where they are,” a sentiment I couldn’t agree with more. However, I’d like to extend the idea of “customer” to incorporate a broader sense of community.

We’ve always hosted the IMPACT Conference near our North American headquarters in New York City. It’s provided us with an important rallying point for the company, our customers and partners, and those in the broader digital commerce community. I love how everyone shows up with open hearts and minds, willing to share ideas to better serve their customers.

However, this is not limited to the annual conference. Through Forter programs like Fraud Labs, Women in Digital, The Payments Roadshow, and our participation in various industry events, there’s clearly an appetite for folks in the community to connect locally and throughout the year.

As a result, we have a fantastic opportunity to build IMPACT into an ongoing program that continues to meet the digital commerce community where they are. This is a longer-term project for 2025 and beyond and one that I’m very excited about!

Business is Personal (and Based on Trust)

Walking through the IMPACT lunchroom between sessions, I was struck by the energy in the room. The space buzzed with people deeply engaged in conversations, from catching up with old friends to making new connections. As I spoke with attendees, many shared that this sense of community and connection was one of their favorite parts of the day.

Naturally, this is a crucial reason any company puts on a conference; however, Jenna Flateman Posner, a long-time Forter customer and co-host of IMPACT 2024, summed it up best. In an increasingly complex world, she outlined how most successful retail-technology partnerships are built on three key pillars:

  • A clear vision of how to better serve customers and the role that tech can have in building lasting relationships and long-term value  
  • A willingness to trust that all parties are coming to the relationship with open ears and minds to problem solve (because not everything’s going to go smoothly) 
  • A sense of reciprocity that the job isn’t done when the deal closes; instead, both sides will work at delivering what was promised in the contract and find even more ways to work together

For me, that’s the very definition of community and something I’m keen to continue building on. 

Connecting Community: Announcing the IMPACT Mentorship Program & Fund

Retailers are proactively reaching out to each other to help solve day-to-day challenges — often when we’re not even in the same room. Given that everyone’s at different points in their professional journeys but often faces common challenges, this knowledge-sharing and proactive problem-solving makes total sense to me. It also makes the work and the connections that much more personal.

This year, I was joined on stage by Brian Davis, a Friend of Forter and one of our champions at adidas, to discuss his involvement in a pilot program we’ve launched to help match digital commerce leaders with industry rising stars. He discussed the importance of helping lift others in the community by sharing knowledge, solving real-world problems, and building relationships. 

I couldn’t agree with this more. In fact, I’m super proud to announce that we’re launching the IMPACT Mentorship program and the IMPACT Fund — both open to all merchants and designed to help practitioners connect and develop in more meaningful ways.  

Getting Involved

I firmly believe that we have an incredible opportunity to expand IMPACT and realize its potential for turning connections into community. And as Forter’s Chief Customer Officer, I’m committed to making this happen and would encourage you to sign up for the IMPACT Mentorship Program and Fund today.